Against His Will

I never even saw it coming. I had spotted a big Buck across the valley, and spent the better part of a day trying to get closer.

The wind was wrong, but I knew the wind would die down later, it always did in these remote canyons. That would give me a chance, if I could just get within a couple of hundred yards and get a clear shot the trophy would be mine.

This fellow was big, I had spotted the rack first, huge. As Whitetail went I knew this was a record or darn close to it.

The record meant nothing to me, I was thinking of the meat. My provisions were getting low, and I was tired of the small fish from the area creeks.

I had left the 4 wheel ATV behind, too noisy. In fact way behind, I was a good 6 to 8 miles deeper into the area and I had ridden it for close to 30 miles. I covered it well, no one would ever find it.

I reached down and felt the compass in my pocket, comforting. Even without that, I would have been completely at ease in the wilderness. It's hard to get lost when there is nothing to go back to.

I spent most of my time making do in the woods, the farther out, the better. I carried a backpack, good gear. I could stay out here for weeks on end, and did quite often.

More than one hunter had gone into this region and never came out. That didn't worry me. What bothered me was pavement, noise. Everybody rushing everywhere, all of them trying to get in front of each other. I tried to fit into that, I really did. But my father took me on his hunting trips, two solid weeks every year as I was growing up.

I learned quickly that I fit in much better as far away from everything as I could get.

I had quit my last job months before, no way could I stand the guy giving orders, telling me to move one box here and another there. I did last three weeks at that one, though.

There were no women in my life. The few that had been were just like ghosts, there for a few days and then gone.

When my Dad passed away, I got the house and his truck, I just sold the house, bought a little ATV. I kept his rifle and gear, found a bank to store the capital and I left.

Nothing was in the city for me, just noise and irritation. Sometimes I would come out, rent a room for a few weeks, just to hunker down for the worst part of the winter. I would then clean up and go find me a woman, another face and name, just passing by.

More ghosts.

Then back to the wilderness.

Now I was sitting behind a rock, scanning the far side of a draw with my scope. There was a small creek down at the bottom that I knew would be a late evening draw. I snugged my heavy jacket close around me to ward off the biting cold and waited.

Then I saw him. He stepped out from some bushes, froze, inspecting the world around him carefully. I could see that huge rack, part of his head and neck.

I held my breath, waiting. He stepped out further, froze again.

Perfect. I sighted, aiming for a spot just below his ear on the side of his neck.

The big animal's head came up, alarmed. I had just started to squeeze the trigger when my head exploded.

I have no idea how long it was before I woke up, my head felt like I had been on a six day drunk.

I tried to look around but my eyes were blurry, finally I managed to focus. There was a plain wooden wall and a beat up old door. Some light was coming in through a filthy window off to the side.

I started to get up but couldn't all the way, something was holding me back by my left arm. I looked down.

What the hell?

There was a strap on my wrist, a chain attached to it. I sat there and stared at that, confused.

Then I realized my other arm was strapped, too, another chain going to the opposite wall.

I tried to reach one wrist with the other hand to pull it loose, the chain drew taut just before I could.

I looked down at my feet, they were bare. My heavy walking boots were gone.

I took in my surroundings, sparse would be too much of a description. The room was small, perhaps no more than ten feet square. There was one door, one window, and a dirt floor. I was sitting on what looked like a pile of hides.

I heard a noise then, someone coming. The door opened, a huge man stood there, the light behind him allowed me to see just his outline.

"Awake, huh?" He stepped in and sat down a bowl of water, turned and started back out.

"Hey, wait! What is this, what the hell is going on?"

"You was trespassing."

Then he was gone.

Trespassing? I knew I was on government property.

I yelled for several minutes to no avail.

I must have slept, because I woke up to the shock of cold water on my face.

It took a few seconds, then I realized a woman squatted there, she was washing my face. I glanced at the rag she had in her hand, it was coming away bloody. I looked at her, she was skinny, her hair stringy and dirty looking. She looked to be perhaps 20 or so.

"Pa sure bonked you a good one." She said.

"Wonder he didn't kill you."

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"OK." She reached down and undid my pants, jerked them down.

"Slide over and go."

"What? Don't you have a...."

"Do it or just mess your pants, up to you."

I had no choice.

She went and got a shovel, scraped some dirt from the floor I had messed, simply tossed it out the open front door.

Then she reached for a wet rag and washed at me some.

She dabbed at me some more, then seeming to be satisfied, she pulled up my clothing.

Then she reached behind her and picked up a bowl.

"Here." She said, shoving what looked like a carved spoon filled with some kind of grey mush at my mouth.

"Eat."

"I don't want that, let me loose."

"Pa won't want you let loose, eat some." She poked the stuff at me again.

I finally opened my mouth, whatever it was was some kind of mashed vegetable and bits of meat. It tasted all right.

She sat and fed me several spoonfuls of the stuff, then picked up the bowl of water and tipped it for me. I sipped some, then drank. I was horribly thirsty.

"What is going on, why am I tied up?" I demanded.

"You was trespassing."

"I was not. This is all federal property around here."

"Not no more." She said.

"Pa and Mom, we staked a claim."

"You can't claim Federal land!"

"Well, we did. Been here for years, nobody ever comes around."

"Except trespassers now and then."

She pushed the bowl of water over closer to me to where I could reach it with one hand.

"You are cuter than the others." She grinned at me as she stood up.

"What's yer name?"

"Dan."

She just nodded.

Then she left, shutting the door. I heard the click of a lock.

"Cuter than the others." She had said?

Others?

I finally slept some more, woke up cold. I managed to tug at the hides under me, finally got one loose and up and over me. It wasn't easy to do, both hands were restrained and they didn't meet in the middle. The hide helped some, I felt some warmth in my legs.

Still, I sat there and shivered, waiting. I spent a bit of time testing the restraints, it didn't take me long to realize they were solid. I saw the big turnbuckles screwed into the log uprights, no way was I going to pull them loose.

The place stank something terrible, I wasn't sure if it was the room or me. I had been in my clothes for days.

I heard voices outside, listened closely, almost holding my breath.

"I want to keep this one." The woman's voice said.

"Just trouble, if he gets loose he will tell."

"He can't get loose, I will take care of him."

"He might."

"No, I won't let him." The voice was pleading now.

"Pa, you got to pay attention. Tam is a woman now, she needs a man." The second woman's voice sounded older.

"Shit! I think we should get rid of him and be done with it!"

"I want to keep him, Pa! It won't be no trouble, I will take care of him."

"Shit!" The man said, then I heard footsteps as he stomped off. The two older voices were still arguing as they faded away.

The woman came in, kneeled down again.

"I can get to keep you if you ain't no trouble." She said, looking at me.

"If you are, Pa will just shoot you."

Then she picked up the bowl of water, tipped it for me. She left and was back in a few minutes with some chunks of meat that she fed to me one piece at a time. She sat and watched me eat with satisfaction.

I didn't recognize the meat, it was stringy and had an odd smokey flavor, almost like jerky?

"You going to be trouble?" She asked simply.

I shook my head no.

"Good. Pa is real nervous about strangers."

Then she left again. It was much later before she came back, she had a glass jar filled with some kind of soup. I took it in one hand, leaned forward to sip it.

I decided to try a different tack.

"Your name is Tam?" I asked her.

"Yea." She looked me up and down.

"You are pretty. Thank you for the food."

Her hand came up and brushed her stringy hair back from her face. I managed to not change expression at that.

"You think so?" She seemed to beam a little.

"Yes, for sure. Hey can I maybe get a blanket, something warmer?"

"OK. I will find something." She hopped up and left, came back in a few minutes with an old coat that was two sizes too big for me. It was thick, a hunter's jacket.

"Let me know if this ain't enough, we got some more from...the others."

I felt a little shiver run through me at that. Just what in the hell had I run into here?

Tam kneeled down in front of me, her hands tucked the old coat around my upper body. I felt her hands investigate, they ran down and across my groin. She squeezed me, then grinned.

"Pretty good, you will do fine." I caught a glimpse of bad yellow teeth. Then she got up and left.

That night was cold, I was thankful for the coat. I managed to sleep fitfully, after spending a bit of time working on the restraints. I even tried to chew the straps, but they were tough, I realized in short order it would take way too long.

Then there was that comment about causing trouble.

The next morning I woke up to the sun shining in the small window, it felt good on me. The weather outside was warmer. I scooted around as much as I could to let it shine on my legs. Then I sat and waited, it wasn't long.

The door opened, she stood there for a moment letting her eyes adjust. Then she kneeled down in front of me, fed me some food. She watched as I ate, smiling. The meat seemed fresher.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Pork." She hesitated for a moment before answering.

That wasn't Pork, I knew.

After I was done, she set the bowl aside, smiled at me again. I knew that look.

Her hands reached out and fumbled with the clasp of my jeans. She tugged them open and down a little, her hand reached in and felt my limp penis.

She stared at it as her hand worked up and down, in short order I felt myself begin to stiffen.

There was nothing I could do about it, her hands just kept on, she seemed fascinated as my erection grew. She sped up the motion, I felt myself grow even larger, then I let loose with a blast.

"Good! You will make fine young'uns." She fastened my jeans back up and left.

Later I woke up, the man was standing there. It took me a moment to realize he was pointing a rifle at me.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Any trouble out of you and I shoot you." He growled flatly, then he turned and walked out the door.

My life became a ritual. The girl would show up, feed me. Sometimes she would masturbate me, sometimes she didn't. Every other day or so the huge man would come in and threaten me. Once he had a knife, he cut my cheek slightly. The girl came in and washed the cut after he left.

I got so I did nothing, I didn't even try.

Then one evening she walked in. It was much later than normal.

"It's time." She said simply, pulling the dress over her head.

She was skinny as a rail, very small busted. Her breasts sagged, capped with black nipples like buttons. The dark mass of pubic hair was way more than I would have expected, it came almost to her navel.

She seemed to be clean, with a slight smell of pine needles. I saw that her normally stringy hair had been washed, then combed out.

She pushed me back on the deerhides, undid my jeans and pulled them down to my knees. Then she stroked me a few times. As soon as she had me erect, she straddled me and lowered herself onto me with a sigh.

She pumped herself up and down. I could barely bring my hands together to hold her, I was helpless. I felt my orgasm building, then I felt hers come first. Her head went back as she spasmed, I felt my body let go and blast my seed deep into her as she pressed down, mashing herself against me.

Finally she relaxed, then slid off me.

"That was lots better than with Pa." She said.

Then she covered me up, pulled her dress over her head and left. She was back in just a few hours. This time she worked me with her hands for quite awhile until she had me up and hard, then she lowered herself down on me, once more doing that thrusting motion. As she orgasmed, she pressed against me. I was trying to hold back but her hand came down and she lifted my testicles, that did it and I let loose.

She slid off me again, pulled on her dress.

"You will probably be all done until morning." She said, and left again after loosely tucking my clothing back in place.

I woke up early, it was barely daylight. I felt hands on me, they felt odd. I looked down, there was a much older woman sitting there. I hadn't seen her before this. She had my pants open, sitting crosslegged, holding me with both hands.

"Shhhh..." She said.

"Pa might get pissed." Then she pulled up her skirt and slid down over me. I had long since given up any idea of resisting. Her head tipped back as she thrust herself at me, then her body shuddered as she orgasmed.

"Tam said you was big." She grinned at me.

One day became another, it seemed that one or the other came in every day, sometimes both. I didn't resist, didn't say much of anything.

I didn't even know how long I had been there.

Then came the change, the man came in and unhooked the shackles. He attached one chain to my arm and led me out the door. My legs were wobbly, it had been a long time since I had last been on my feet.

He dragged me down a small hill, there was a pile of wood.

"I am going to unhook you. You are going to carry the wood up the hill and stack it by the house. Don't give me any trouble or I will just shoot you!" He glared at me.

I nodded, glancing at him long enough to see rhe scraggly beard, teeth like snags with several missing. He sat down on a stump, a rifle across his knees.

I realized that it was my rifle.

I started carrying the wood. The two women came down, they started carrying wood too as the man just sat there. I got my first good look at them in the full light. The older woman was thin, dark haired. She wore a printed dress that looked like a bag on her. Tam kept giving me sidelong glances, I noticed that she was showing signs of swelling in her belly.

I knew what that was.

Then the man got up, retrieved an axe and carefully set it down by the woodpile. He was cautious, he stayed a good dozen feet out of reach. I sized him up trying to not let it show. He was taller than me and rangy looking, the weatherbeaten clothes he wore hid his frame, but he looked strong.

I did as he told me, chopped the wood and stacked it in an old leanto. It felt good to work my body, I felt strength returning. It felt good to have my hands and legs free, but the man stayed just out of reach, there was never even a chance at him.

I would have taken the chance if it arrived, I think he knew that.

There was a smokehouse going a few yards away, he opened the door and stood aside while I tended the fire. There was chunks of meat curing in there, I tried to not look.

Some of it was Deer meat.

Some of it wasn't.

I knew what that was, too.

Trespassers. I felt myself shudder inside, did my best to hide that.

After that he just chained me by one leg.

Then it was every day, they came and got me and made me work. Every night one of the women came and fed me, I never showed any sign of resisting.

Sometimes they would climb on me and use me, I didn't resist that, either.

Days became weeks, then months, the younger woman grew. I knew she carried a child in her belly. I tried to not think of that. As she got heavier with child she quit climbing on me, the older woman came far more often.

When I was alone, I worked out as much as I could, trying to keep up my strength. There seemed to be plenty of food, I ate everything that was offered.

I just kept my mind blank, chewed the meat. I was fairly sure what the result would be if I protested.

Then one day the man had me carrying wood into the house, I stacked it neatly for him. After that was done, he told me to have a seat.

That surprised me, he always hooked up the chain before.

"Got a treat for you, you work good!" He said.

He sat a steaming cup of coffee in front of me, poured a mug for himself.

Coffee!

I hadn't had any coffee since, well, since he caught me.

I wondered where he even got any, then as I tasted it I realized it was from my backpack of provisions.

I didn't say anything, just sipped it.

"We gonna just lock your door, no chain. OK?"

"OK."

"You won't try to run, if you do I will track you down and shoot you."

I just shook my head, looked down.

I was thinking about that axe in the corner, I was thinking about my rifle he had leaned up on the far side. I noticed he had set it down on the opposite side, I would need to cross the table and go past him to reach it.

I might even make it, but I decided to just wait.

More time went by, they let me come in and eat with them, then use the outhouse. No more corner of the room, using the shovel to clean up.

I just became one of the family, it seemed like every day he trusted me more and more. I learned he called the older woman Car-o-line, he drug the name out each time he said it. Tam and Caroline both just called him Pa.

The man didn't talk much, mostly he just barked orders.

I started to call him Pa, too. The first few times he looked at me oddly, then he seemed to accept that.

The women had harvested some wild berries, there was a lot of them. I asked him if he wanted me to make some wine. I often did that in the Fall, and I was fairly good at it.

"You know how?" He asked.

"Yes."

"OK, go ahead." He grinned at me, almost seemed to lick his lips. I found some pots, they would do. The berries were sweet enough.

He watched me with interest, said nothing.

Then one day the metal hinge on the heavy front door pulled out at the top. There was a big screw there, the wood had given way.

Pa was angry at that. He told us to go find a tree and peel it to make a new post to hold the door.

"Got a knife?" I asked.

He looked at me with some suspicion.

"What for?"

"I can fix that." I said flatly.

He just turned and got a heavy knife from a drawer, handed it to me and stepped back.

I found a piece of wood and whittled a peg, then I used the butt of the knife to drive the peg in place where the screw had pulled out. I threaded the screw back in with the blade, it held and was solid.

Pa just looked at me.

"Yer pretty handy." He said. Then he retrieved the knife and put it away.

I went over and sat down on a stool, started cutting up kindling. He ignored me now when I did that, I did it every single morning and evening now.

I was waiting, I wanted to be ignored.

It was that same night, very late when the door to my room opened.

"Tam's dropping. Come on and help." He just turned and headed towards the house.

I got up and followed.

Tam was on her back on a pile of blankets, Caroline attending. Her face was drawn, she was into heavy labor, soaked in sweat.